• HDD First Look: Logan Noir (Digital HD Review)

    Posted Tue May 16, 2017 at 11:16 PM PDT by
    Logan Noir

    Like Mad Max: Fury Road: Black & Chrome before it, Logan, Hugh Jackman's swan song as the Canadian mutant with rage issues, gets the black-and-white treatment in Logan Noir. While some may call this sort of post-theatrical release color grading a marketing gimmick, after taking the morning to give the monochromatic presentation an earnest watch, I for one am actually hopeful more filmmakers decide to take a stab at producing separate black-and-white versions of their films.

    Logan Noir

    THE MOVIE ITSELF



    Movie trailers have a bad habit of overselling what you're going to see out of a movie. You may see a killer action sequence in the trailer hoping to witness it in the context of the final film only to discover that it had been cut entirely. You may hear a great quip or a line read out of a character and then be saddened when that payoff never happens. So when the first preview for Logan was released - I noticed a distinctly different tone for this film. It wasn't anything like X-Men, X-2, The Wolverine, Days of Future Past or any of the other X-Men films of the past. Logan had the look and feel of a down and dirty, gritty, and hyper-violent take on the character we've come to know and love for over a decade. Coupled with the haunting cover of "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, I was hooked and couldn't wait to see it. But I was also worried that the final product couldn't possibly live up to the trailer. With great relief, the final film met and exceeded my expectations.

    When I settled into the theater to see Logan, I was instantly struck by the film's sense of brutality and mortality. Not only was I seeing a film where Wolverine's rage was finally fully unleashed, but I was watching the hero I spent decades seeing in comic books, cartoons, and movies confront the ramifications of his actions. Additionally, I was watching the final performance of the character by Hugh Jackman, the man who has embodied Logan A.K.A. "Wolverine" on screen for the last 17 years. Couple with what will apparently be the final turn for Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier, the film turned out to be a thrilling but deeply emotional rollercoaster ride. 

    Not content to be a simple-minded action adventure film with mutants using their CGI-enhanced super powers, Logan took the bold step of stripping itself of that sort of fantasy. Sure, we get brief moments of mutant action antics, but there isn't any spectacle. It's brutal, violent, and at all times somber. Taking pages from classic westerns, director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman craft an intricate and satisfying character sendoff. I rarely sit through the credits of movies (if I know there isn't a post-credit scene), but in this case, I had to just so I could have the time to collect myself. While the film focuses on finality and themes of mortality, it also celebrates how time and life move on. This is certainly not the last time we'll see Wolverine on theater screens, but it's the last for Hugh Jackman. And I couldn't imagine a better sendoff for his take on the character. 

    Logan Noir

    LOGAN NOIR



    In the lead up to filming and casting announcements for Logan, director James Mangold released hauntingly beautiful black-and-white photos of the cast and locations. Obviously, the film was going to be released in color, but it got him wondering what the film would look like in black-and-white. Thankfully, someone over at Fox was open minded to Mangold's desire to regrade the color of the film to black-and-white - and they also had the forethought to include this new version dubbed Logan Noir as a bonus feature with the home video release - and not a later release to double dip fans for. Through VUDU, I got my first taste of Logan Noir, and it's simply stunning. 

    I for one am extremely excited by this somewhat growing trend of popular feature films getting proper black-and-white re-colorizations. For a film like The Mist, black-and-white made the film feel like a throwback to the original Night of the Living Dead. With Mad Max: Fury Road: Black & Chrome, the black-and-white added extra grit and grime to one of the most engaging action movies ever made.

    Logan Noir

    For Logan, taking out the color with this properly rendered grayscale simply strips the film down to its emotional core. While the original color presentation was beautiful and director James Mangold and his cinematographer John Mathieson did a terrific job of capturing the sun-drenched vistas of a classic western like Shane and Rio Bravo, Logan Noir somehow feels more complete. As if taking a page from such westerns as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and High Noon, the black-and-white photography of Logan Noir feels more in tune with the heavy thematic dealings of true heroism and inevitable mortality. 

    And no, you simply can't turn off the color on your TV set to replicate the same results of this proper scene-by-scene color grading -- I tried -- it becomes a soft muddy mess and contrast can blow out from shot-to-shot. Thankfully, Logan Noir is included with every home entertainment release -- 4K UHD in 4K, Blu-ray in HD, and Digital HD -- so you won't have to attempt that silly exercise. It's a complete package deal, so even if you're not as taken with Logan Noir as I was, you get to choose which version is right for you. 

    Logan Noir

    DIGITAL HD VIDEO



    Presented in VUDU's 1080p HDX format, I was greatly impressed with the intricate detail levels of the black and white imagery. Hugh Jackman's beard, along with the makeup work done to age and scar him, is stunning and comes through more clearly within this monochromatic presentation. The impressive grayscale also provides an incredible amount of depth to the scenery. Open spaces look and feel like they could go on for miles while interiors offer up enough shadow separation to provide a sense of scale. This digital streaming presentation was solid, but I noticed a bit more video noise in black and white than I did with the original color presentation. Thankfully the video noise isn't severe and is only really noticeable when the film is in very brightly lit areas.

    It only took one viewing, but Logan Noir is definitely my preferred way to see the movie, so fingers crossed the Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray will kick even more ass (we'll also make sure to cover the color versions in more depth). More on this in the next week.

    Logan Noir

    DIGITAL HD AUDIO



    The 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus audio provided for this streaming presentation gets the job done, doing a great job of handling dialogue exchanges as well as some of the front and center action antics. However, I felt like surround activity lacked that sense of oomph and chutzpah that I experienced theatrically. There was surround activity, but just enough to cover the bases rather than provide a truly immersive experience that a good and proper DTS-HD MA 5.1, DTS: X, or even a great Dolby Atmos track would have provided. Marco Beltrami's beautifully understated score is also only given a pass over. You can hear it best during the quieter moments but some themes didn't quite come to life as one would have hoped. It gets the job done and for the most part, it does it well enough.

    Logan Noir

    SPECIAL FEATURES



    In addition to getting both the original color theatrical cut of Logan and Logan Noir, the following bonus features are available through digital streaming:

    Deleted Scenes (HD 7:45)

    Making Logan: Casting The Film (HD 20:34)

    Making Logan: Crafting The Story (HD 12:13)

    Making Logan: Crafting The Score (HD 4:22)

    Making Logan: Designing The World (HD 17:53)

    Making Logan: Stunts and Fights (HD 16:51)

    Making Logan: Wrapping Logan (HD 4:07)

    Logan Noir

    FINAL THOUGHTS



    Thankfully this Digital HD release of Logan Noir is just a taste of what is to come with the Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases due to drop next week. As soon as we can we'll be posting full in-depth reviews of both of those releases. In the meantime, be sure to get in your pre-orders for the Blu-ray and 4K UHD while you can! 

    ~~~
    Images: @wponx

    Continue Reading
  • Klipsch Offers 'X-Men: Apocalypse' HD Wireless 3.1 Home Theater Sweepstakes!

    Posted Mon Oct 3, 2016 at 05:10 PM PDT by
    x-men klipsch

    The winner will receive a free sound system and X-Men Blu-ray collection!  

    Continue Reading
  • Kaleidescape Partners with 20th Century Fox to Offer 4K Ultra HD Titles with HDR

    Posted Tue Feb 2, 2016 at 11:30 AM PST by
    strato 4k Ultra HD player

    More 4K HDR titles will be available through the company's media players.  

    Continue Reading
  • Fox Readies More than 100 Movies for Oculus VR Cinema, Including 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' and 'Birdman'

    Posted Thu Sep 24, 2015 at 04:30 PM PDT by
    October Essentials

    The studio has pledged its support for virtual reality devices.  

    Continue Reading
  • 20th Century Fox Debuts "Movie of the Day" App for iPad & iPhone, Offers Digital HD Flash Sales

    Posted Wed May 27, 2015 at 10:15 AM PDT by
    movie of the day

    The new app brings daily movie flash sales to mobile devices. 

    Continue Reading
  • Hulu Teams up with Disney-ABC to Stream 'Resurrection,' 'Devious Maids,' 'Mistresses' & More

    Posted Wed Dec 17, 2014 at 02:30 PM PST by
    Hulu Logo

    The streaming service and broadcast network have signed a licensing agreement for several shows. 

    Continue Reading
  • High-Def Digests Explores the Marvel Cinematic Universe

    Posted Mon Sep 15, 2014 at 08:01 AM PDT by
    Marvel Article Logo

    High-Def Digest has decided to look back at the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far; look forward with what Marvel has coming down the pipeline; and look to the future, to speculate on what would make our Marvel cinematic dreams come true.

    Continue Reading
  • HDD Screens 'The Wolverine - Unleashed Extended Edition' with Director James Mangold

    Posted Thu Nov 21, 2013 at 04:00 PM PST by Mike Attebery

    This past Monday, HDD was one of a handful of sites invited to attend the first ever screening of 'The Wolverine Unleashed: Extended Edition' on the Fox lot.  Director James Mangold was on hand to introduce the cut, which has 12 additional minutes compared to this past summer's theatrical release.

    Continue Reading
  • HDD's Exclusive Interview with Legendary VFX Designer John Dykstra

    Posted Thu Aug 25, 2011 at 12:40 PM PDT by

    'X-Men: First Class' will soon be released on Blu-ray, and Fox has given us the opportunity to speak with 'First Class' visual effects designer and industry legend John Dykstra. Dykstra has worked on some of the biggest films of the last 30 years.

    Continue Reading

LATEST NEWS BLU-RAY

The Game Of Clones: Bruceploitation Collection, Vol.1 Blu-ray Limited Edition Box Set Available for Pre-order!

View All

ULTRA HD

"The Karate Kid" Celebrates 40 Years of Crane Kicks with a New 4K UHD Blu-ray June 18th

View All

HD GEAR

Got A Spare Grand? Hot Toys Reissues 1989 Batman 1/6 Figure and Batmobile

View All

THE BONUS VIEW

Sorry, We’re Closed

View All